May 24 to May 28th. Join the fun at the ROTARY CARNIVAL at Brown Park in downtown Norwich. Super rides, including the 80 FOOT Gondola Wheel. Thrill Rides for the brave, and a separate, safe area for the kiddy carnival. $1.00 per ticket, or 25 Tickets for $20.00. Wrist bands are available for ALL RIDES, to enjoy as often as you wish, on Thursday 5pm-10pm, Sunday & Monday 1 pm to 6 pm for $25. ( USE THE COUPON FOR AN ADDITIONAL $2 OFF ) HOURS: 5/24 Thursday 5-11pm /// 5/25 Friday 3-11pm, /// 5/26-5/27 Saturday & Sunday 11am-11pm,//// 5/28 Monday 11am-6pm

WORLD YOUTH CELEBRATION, 5/4/18. At the event was THE NFA INTERACT CLUB. These young leaders had a table where they invited everyone to paint a paver that will be used in a small patio seating area in front of the Peace Poles at Brown Park. They have partnered with Bully Busters so that the Friendship Benches will be provide seating in the area they are creating called “SAFE SPACE”.

THIS FRIDAY! April 27, 2018 RCC of Norwich holds their annual Scavenger Hunt around Norwich. Teams challenge each other for prizes and bragging rights as they make their way around Norwich finding clues and items as they go. The money raised with this fundraiser support the RCC’s mission of helping others in the community.

Culture for Coats is an evening of spirits, fun, fine food and fellowship that will make a difference in our community! Join Norwich’s best and brightest in sampling bourbon and other fine spirits, along with a great sampling of fine foods, all to benefit the Norwich Rotary Club’s Coat project—which provides over 1,000 coats for Norwich area kids each winter!

The NTHS Interact Club traveled to Preston Veterans Memorial School to work with these young children and teach them to plant seeds. After they picked the plants they wanted to grow, they were given the seeds and a temporary pot to plant the seed and they were able to take them home and watch them grow.With some time left the Interactors played a rousing game of "Goose,Goose, Duck". Great job !

Watch this short video about why it is so difficult to eradicate polio now.

In the video is Rukshar Khatun, the last polio victim in India who poses for a photo outside her house in the Howrah district, West Bengal. She survived the virus, but it left its mark as she limps because of weakness of her left ankle. (Subhendu Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

Norwich Tech Rotary Interactors sponsored the food drive and their efforts were rewarding. Announce to all student today! Norwich has surpassed Grasso to take 2nd place in the competition!!! Biotech WINS it all! Nice job to all the shops/shop teachers who motivated their peers/students. Each shop contributed. Bio Tech-382, HT-301,MME-227,Carp-204, Graphics-139, HVAC-125, Culinary-129, Plumbing-68, EEE-39, Electrical-39, HBC-39, Auto-23 ___________ PLUS

+600 points from RotaryThe food stuffs will be delivered by the Interact Club on Feb. 16th., with photos to follow. The Norwich Rotary partnered with us and helped support NT’s efforts to feed the hungry and gave us 600 points!! Without their support we would have been in 3rd place!! They put us over the edge last year too! Please explain to students in both shops and academics again in closing the power in giving to those in need. Every pound of food is feeding 10 people! Thank you for your support and giving spirit. The Interact Club thanks you.

The Norwich Rotary Community Corp is again hosting it's Annual Event. Every year the RCC of Norwich holds their annual Scavenger Hunt around Norwich. Teams challenge each other for prizes and bragging rights as they make their way around Norwich finding clues and items as they go. The money raised with this fundraiser supports the RCC’s mission of helping others in the community.

The Norwich Rotary Clubs' Annual Golf Tournament is fast approaching, on September 7th. We all know how much fun this day on the greens is, and the importance of the funds we are raising for the community projects we do throughout the year. There is still time to sign up a foursome, volunteer to help, donate an item for the silent auction or just come on down to the Norwich Golf Course and participate in the putting contest.

If you have not played in a while, Gary Young gave us a quick beginners/refresher course on playing golf a year or so ago. It was entertaining and informative, so this would be a good time to bring Gary back so we can all enjoy his lessons again.

There is an AMBER Alert station set up at Orchard Grove Specialty Care Center, 5 Richard Brown Dr., Uncasville. If you would like to have your child’s ID card done and put into the National Database please call Marie Osborne at 860-992-5581 to set up an appointment. The first card is free, any additional cards are $2.00.

The AMBER Alert Program is a voluntary partnership between law-enforcement agencies, broadcasters, transportation agencies, and the wireless industry, to activate an urgent bulletin in the most serious child-abduction cases. The goal of an AMBER Alert is to instantly galvanize the entire community to assist in the search for and the safe recovery of the child. AMBER Alerts are broadcast through radio, television, road signs and all available technology referred to as the AMBER Alert Secondary Distribution Program. These broadcasts let law enforcement use the eyes and ears of the public to help quickly locate an abducted child. The U.S. Department of Justice coordinates the AMBER Alert program on a national basis.

The Norwich Rotary Club is seeking nominations for the 2014 Lottie B. Scott Cultural Diversity Award.
The award, established last year at the 1st “Celebrate Diversity” event, recognizes the achievements of an individual who has enhanced our interactions and our community. The recipient will be recognized for their endeavor to promote the cause of inclusion and equality. Nominees must reside in the Norwich Rotary service area, which includes Norwich, Griswold, Ledyard, Bozrah and Jewett City. The nominee should have demonstrated efforts to promote cultural equality, opportunity and understanding within our community. They also must agree to receive the award in person on September 24th at the CELEBRATE DIVERSITY Event at Howard Brown Park, on Chelsea Dr. in Norwich, at 7PM. Nominations must be submitted by September 1, 2014. This year’s award recipient will be notified by September15th. Nomination forms are available on line at www.norwichrotary.org, ( LOOK UNDER SITE PAGE ON THE LEFT) at the Norwich Bulletin business office and at WICH radio station. Forms are also available from Rotarians Bonnie Hong (860-334-2031), and Barry Shead (860-889-1963).

Presented by The Norwich Rotary Clubs & The Woman’s City Club of Norwich Purpose: The purpose of the Native Son/Daughter Award is to recognize outstanding achievements by Norwich Connecticut natives who reached those achievements while living outside the Norwich area.

Eligibility: 1. Nominees must have: a. Been either born in Norwich or to parents who were residents of Norwich at the time of the nominee’s birth, and b. Lived in Norwich during most of his/her life through high school.

Persons who were born to parents residing in a bordering town at the time of that person’s birth may also be nominated, providing all of the following criteria are met in full:

• Nominee moved into Norwich before beginning first grade, and • Continued to reside in Norwich through high school

2. Nominee must also agree to receive the award in person at the Native Son/Daughter Award Luncheon at the Holiday Inn in Norwich early May

Our District 7980's Foundation Dinner will be held at the 4 POINTS SHERATON, on Research Parkway in Meriden Ct at 6PM on Thursday, November 3rd, 2011. Our Club would like to have a table, or 10 people in attendance. Please contact Larry Fowler (860-334-5979) or Jim O'Shea (860-334-2031) if you'd like to attend. Tickets will be covered by the Club.

Your President Elect Jim O'Shea and President Larry Fowler, attended the Presidents Council on Saturday morning 10/22/2011. The meeting was well attended and gave our club a chance to share with other clubs from District 7980.Topics included Leadership Input, News from our District Governor Rupi Rupiwani, Rotary Foundation(Foundation Dinner, 11/3/11, Thursday in Meriden at the 4 Points Sheraton), New Generations, Club Awards, Planning, RI Convention(May 6-9,2012) in Bangkok Thailand, District Assembly(4/21/2012 in Meriden) and District Conference Celebration in Warwick May 17-20th, 2012. All worthy events to attend to learn more about Rotary and have fun and fellowship.

After a full 3 months at the Marina, we are finally going to moving back to our new Home on Weds. 10/19/2011. We have weathered the storm, and we look forward a good meeting back in our facility. Hervey and Freddy have us in the main dining room this week, then the transition should be complete and back into our section fully on 10/26/2011. I want to thank all members for being flexible during our displacement. I am personally thankful for everyone's patience. Jim O'Shea and I will be attending President's Council on Saturday 10/22/2011 in New Haven, and a quick reminder the Foundation Dinner will be November 3rd,2011, Thursday evening, at the 4 Points Sheraton in Meriden, please plan to attend if you can. We have had a full table (10) at this event, in the past. Let me know if you'd like to go this year.

Recently our District 7980 lost a great leader. Dick Benson from Madison, was wonderful resource of Rotary knowledge, as well as a Past District Governor for Southern Ct. In the time I have been going to District leader training, Dick was always there and made himself available to give insight to new leaders within Rotary. He also was very active in support of our own Jerry Lowney's Haitian Health Foundation and visited Haiti himself. His passing will leave a definite void in our District and I know for this Rotarian, I will miss him and talking Rotary with him.

My thoughts were with you all last week as I was in DC for my industry convention. Little did I know I would have to return earlier than expected on Tuesday night, due to my Mother being admitted to the hospital. So my busy week became more complicated. We all have trials in life, and I'm being tested right now. Back to ROTARY---- Tuesday, 9/20th, BIG E DAY for Norwich Rotarians, Mike Matera and Greg Allard are coordinating our delegation- please contact them immediately for transportation information. We need as many volunteers as we can get, it's a fun day and very rewarding activity, contact Mike at 860-8871400, or Greg at 860-234-6841. Also, 9/21/11, our regular Rotary meeting will still be at the Marina for this week and next. If it gets too cool we will move inside a room upstairs at the Marina Facility. Our District Govenor Rupi Rupwani will speak to us on Weds. 9/21/11 at 12:15pm. Please, make every effort to attend so we have a good representation of our members to meet Rupi. On Saturday, 9/24/11, we have the District Foundation Meeting in Deep River, Dr Manny Kadish, Chuck Seeman and I are planning to attend, if you'd like to go call one us, to again coordinate transportation. Have a great week. Larry

Where were you? I remember exactly where I was and most of us do. Important dates as the JFK Asassination and 9/11 we remember. My wife Awatef and I were in Salt Lake City, UTAH. My industry convention had started on 9/8/01, and was in full swing. The one thing we remember, was that we had tickets on that memorable TUESDAY to hear the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. We were so upset over the events of the day, we never expected to witness one of the greatest performance the choir has ever done. They decided that night to perform and did an entire evening of Patriotic Music. It was truly GREAT and not a dry eye was in the concert that evening. The voices never sounded sweeter or more powerful, and goose bumps comeback just thinking about it. We live in a wonderful country and this week, please do, take a moment to remember where you were on 9/11 and the people who gave all for our freedom. God Bless, Larry Fowler

Weds. 9/14/2011, at the new FAT CATS on West Main Street, our CLUB will have a Wine tasting Fellowship FUNRAISER. Fat Cats is providing the menu and wine and our club will enjoy the fellowship and make a little money. Come and spend sometime with your fellow Norwich Rotary members, at 6PM, for a time of fun and renewal. Contact Mike Matera for details and invite a friend and bring your spouse or significant other. FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This is a time of celebration throughout the world. Ramadan ended on 8/29/2011, and our Muslim Brothers and Sisters in Rotary are celebrating EID. This weekend for the US is Labor Day weekend, it marks the end of Summer and the beginning of the school year for children all over the US. For the people of the Connecticut, we celebrate that we are safe after Hurricane Irene. The damages done are truly amazing but, we will rebound, and we are thankful it was only a category 1 storm. I can not even fathom the destruction a category 3 would have done to our region. As we celebrate and give thanks let also be thankful and mindful of all the good we have done and will continue to do in our community and the world - Through ROTARY. God Bless, and have a wonderful holiday weekend. Larry

September is bringing many important dates to our CLUB. First and foremost is our Annual Golf Tourney on 9/7/2011, Weds., at River Ridge Country Club, in Griswold CT. September 20th, 2011 we have our Annual Amber Alert coverage for the BIG E. that's a Tuesday and the day after 9/21/11 WEDS. ( OUR BOARD MEETING WILL BE ON 9/21/11 ALSO)we have our DG Rupi Rupwani visiting us at our meeting at Bella Fiore. To make the week completely busy we have the Rotary Foundation Seminar in Deep River, CT. on Saturday 9/24/11. So get ready for an exciting fun month of September.

CHALLENGES!!!!! We all face them, and our Club is facing some right now. The fire at Bella Fiore has had us take a quick assessment of our Club Meetings, and the damages to our normal routine. We were very lucky that Greg Allard and his staff at American Ambulance stepped up in a "Service above self" way to handle the Club's immediate needs, and minimize the damages to our club property. Thank you Greg and Staff. Our current challenge is our Golf Tourney, September 7th, 2011, at River Ridge Golf Club in Griswold. We need to step it up, "NOW", to get the tee sponsors, green sponsors, volunteers, golfers, and AUCTION ITEMS needed to make this event the success, we need it to be. Jim Daly, Gary Young and the rest of the committee have worked very hard, and deserve the entire clubs support over the next few weeks. Please, make the contacts needed to get this done. One tee sponsor, one foursome, and one auction item from each club member and we will be on track for a very successful event. LET'S DO IT!!!!!! And have some fun!!!!! ( Flyer with Registration info and Sponsor info on the website homepage)

What your Contribution can do! $60.00 to the RI FOUNDATION= 100 children Immunized against polio. $100.00 to the RI FOUNDATION = 200 posters promoting Immunization. $250.00 to the RI Foundation = 500 aprons to identify health workers, volunteers and vaccinators. $500.00 to the RI Foundation = 4,000 finger markers to identify children immunized and $1,000.00 = 700 Vaccine Carriers. It is really amazing what we can do, we are so close to eradicating POLIO. Please, try to do what you can do. OUR GOAL:" EVERY ROTARIAN EVERY YEAR"(EREY), all you need to do is donate $25.00 to be counted. We can do it TOGETHER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Larry Fowler

Our first Amber Alert Event for the Norwich Education Foundation was held at the CT Tigers game Sunday versus the Brooklyn Cyclones. We give a big thanks to Bob Vetter and his wife Sheila and Danbury Rotarian Suzzane for bringing their Amber Alert equipment, and training the 11 Norwich Club volunteers at the event. Our Danbury Rotarians gave us plenty of insight into what we need to have once our new Amber Alert Equipment arrives.

Being Part of a WINNING TEAM, just as I mention in my talk for the CHANGE of COMMAND, by giving to our Rotary Foundation we can be part of a "Winning Team". Check out the standings for giving for all the District's in the Northeast, our District 7980 is NUMBER ONE!!!!! Awesome, and you can help us stay on top by making your Donation to our Foundation. Did you know 100% of the funds you give go direct to ROTARY PROJECTS? YES YES YES, because the funds for this year go to interest earning accounts and the the interest each year pays for all expense. Super Planning by your RI Board. We are at 33% of our club giving and we can make it to EREY (Every Rotarian Every Year) and 100%. We will all be so proud of this GOAL being achieved. See the Chart and the giving form attached. Yours in Rotary, Larry

This
year we will honor Maureen Sullivan, currently residing in Annapolis MD.
She is the Past President of the Association of College and Research
Libraries, Past President of the Library Administration and Management
Association, and has just been elected to the 2012-13 presidency of the
American Library Association, the oldest and largest library
organization in the world.To Register today CLICK HERE

I had the honor of watching two recruits sworn in Friday as the newest members of the Norwich Fire Department at a badge-pinning ceremony at fire headquarters.
Andrew E. Cooke, 21,and Terry J. Cooper, 26, were sworn in by City Clerk Sandra Greenhalgh. It made my proud to see the respect and pride that our fire department has in there responsibility to our community. Rotary joins the members of the NFD and the families of Fireman Cooke and Fireman Cooper, in welcoming these men to the department.

District Governor Julianne Reppenhagen and husband Charlie point out " YOU MISSED IT" !! Larry, Joel, Keri and Bonnie had a wonderful time, and felt very proud of our club as we were recognized for our work and received several awards. On Saturday night we heard from Keynote speaker, RI President's Representative, PDG Diane Kessel Knight, and we were again inspired. Throughout the weekend at each Plenary Session we were inspired by the speakers, and programs that were done by the many clubs in our district.

Norwich Fire Department Fallen Firefighter and Family Fund Golf Tournament will be held on June 21 2011.The Norwich Firefighters are looking for TEAMS, Tee Sponsors and donations. Go to: www.local892.org for forms and information. By the way, did you see the NFD BBQ Team at our event last week !

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Leffingwell House Museum Saturday Market Days. Join Artists, artisans, crafters, demonstrators, vendors, re-enactors, educators, performers and musicians at Market Days on the 2nd Saturday of the months April through October from noon to 4 PM weather permitting. The Next MARKET DAY will be June 11th : June11th: Attendance Bonus: Its Open House Day at the Museum too! More information at www.leffingwellhousemuseum.org

CONGRATULATIONS to our Rotary Freshman. Comments heard on Saturday were " What an Event for Norwich", "Can't wait till next year!", "The food is great". and from the freshman ...... RELIEF. A very successful event. Lots of wonderful vendors participated. The sponsors and volunteers were key to the success. A lot of hard work and planning went into Saturday's success. Sheila, Kim, Kim and Keith we are so proud of you. The future of our Norwich Rotary is in good hands. Congratulations to Mike Gordon for another successful Freshman project, one that we hope will be an annual event.

The Colchester Rotary Club hosted the Ukranian delegation participating in the OPEN WORLD PROGRAM. The Open World Program is a congressionally sponsored program that brings emerging leader from Russia, Ukraine, and other Eurasian states to the United States in order to give them firsthand exposure to the American system of participatory democracy and free enterprise. Rotary International is proudly continuing its relationship with the Open World Leadership Center and serves as a local grantee/host organization with the U.S. Rotary clubs serving as local hosts for Open World delegations. RI has been participating in the Open World Program since its inception in 1999. Before their visit to our club this week, they were given a tour of City Hall, meet with the Mayor, Council Members and some Department Heads. We than escorted them to Congressman Courtney's office where they had the opportunity to ask questions of his Regional Staff. And than it was off to the Norwich Rotary for lunch.

I would like to clarify the article in Saturday's
Bulletin.I never said the "City
Sabotaged" our plans for the Carnival.Because of the outcome it may appear to the reporter to be the case,
however, that is not what I said. We asked the City last July for permission to use Chelsea
Parade for our planned Carnival this May.We were denied because the City does not have the
funds to re-seed the area after such an event, but we were offered the use of
Brown Park.Our carnival vendor
had concerns about the safety of certain major rides in such a narrow space. A
meeting in early February was arranged with our vendor, the Mayor, City
manager, a council member, the Police Chief and the Head of Public Works.I had heard a rumor that another group had asked to use
Chelsea Parade for their fundraiser and reminded the city officials, at that
meeting, that we had requested that site, and were assured that no one was
granted permission.Apparently two
Council members gave permission, after our meeting with City Officials.I heard about this while working on the
Trolley last Wednesday, and found out the other Carnival was taking place less
than ten days before our event.Yes this will void our contract with our Carnival
Vendor.It is unlikely that this
vendor will be willing to work in this community again.It has also caused hurt feelings and
tension with the VFW. Yes I am
heartbroken, and discouraged because of the amount of work already done and for
the hope of funding our project that will support Economic development in our
community and hopefully create jobs.This is obviously not the way that businesses, developers or
organizations should be treated when working with city.

I was trying to view the websites of the Tuscaloosa Rotary Clubs and both are still off line. I did however find an email address of their District Governor. I sent an email to him expressing concern and my wish to be able to help in some way. Here are the Charleston Square Apartments in Tuscaloosa in 2010.

Charleston Square Apartments ceased to exist after the tornado in 2011

Gifts to the Rotary Foundation’s Annual Fund all across the
21 Districts in our Zone (New England and the Mid-Atlantic states) is up
22%. Annual Fund Giving this Rotary year through March 31, 2011 in
District 7980 is up 19%. That’s good news for our Clubs. The more District
7980 Rotarians give to the Annual Fund of our Foundation, the more funds we
will have to provide grants for Club Projects in three years and the more funds
we will have to provide scholarships for the students in our communities.

Foundation giving by Rotary Clubs: As of April 28th the Rotary Club of Norwich
has given $6,760.00 to this year’s Annual
Fund Campaign ($96.57 per capita so
far). If we maintain a 20% growth in Annual Fund Giving the average
Rotary Club in District 7980 will be at $130.00 per capita. Last year the
average Club in District 7980 gave just 108.34 per capita to the Annual Fund,
That’s lower than normal because of the recession. I hope your Club’s Annual
Fund Giving can exceed $130 per member this Rotary year.

The April 11th report shows Norwich has only 24
(34%) sustaining members so far this year. Last year your club had
15 sustaining member. Almost half of
the 2,515 District 7980 Rotarians last year were sustaining members. I
expect we will do even better this year. I hope your Club will have more
than 31 sustaining members this year.

FROM: Mac Leask, Foundation Chair
for Rotary District 7980

COMING UP:

*Our District Conference in Sturbridge, May 12-15 is sure to be a wonderful party. Remember to register. http://rotary2010.galaxystar.com/ It will be a wonderful time to fellowship with other Rotarians in our District, and be inspired by Rotary all over again.

RESERVE YOUR TICKETS TODAY Native Son/Daughter LuncheonYou can sign up on the website or email ROTARIAN Marie Osborne mosborne@apple-rehab.com Honoring Matthew K. Shaughnessy.Matt is a professional football player with the NFL and is currently with the Arizona Cardinals.

Matt has been involved with and or organized numerous community and charitable activities while at college, with the Oakland Raiders and the Arizona Cardinals.
There is a fee of $15.00 for this event . So mark your calendar:Jul 02, 2014 at 12:00 PM at Norwich Free Academy 305 Broadway St. Norwich, CT.

The Norwich Bulletin is holding a contest for the Best Norwich has to offer. There are a lot of other categories that people in our community can vote for, including your FAVORITE CIVIC GROUP. Is there any doubt which is the BEST. Cast your vote for the Norwich Rotary at norwichbulletin.com/BestofNorwich

Share your story!

The Otis Library is a finalist in the 2014 NATIONAL MEDAL for Museum and Library Services. This is a great honor for the Library and for Norwich. Otis Library is encouraging community members who have visited the Library to share their story on the Institute of Museum and Library Services Facebook page, www.facebook.com/USIMLS. Be sure to mention Otis Library in your post. Please post your stories before April 14.

Good Evening. Over the past years as I worked hard to grow my Insurance practice, Rotary has become an integral part of that growth, personally and professionally. During the last 20 years, I've served in many of our Clubs leadership positions, so it's an honor for me to stand before as your President. I believe my greatest leadership skill is my ability to bring people together to accomplish a common goal. I believe we need each other as Rotarians to transform ourselves into the Club we want to be and in doing so, help our members gain success. Steven Covey in his book "The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People" brings out the importance of INTERDEPENDENCE. He says, "WE" are always more effective than "I". In John Maxwell's book, "Developing the Leaders Around You", he talks about how a team is formed, he says a team is more than just a group of people. For a group to become a team it MUST have the 4 C's, a common goal, cooperation, communication and commitment. I strongly believe all great teams must have commitment, focus, and be dedicated to the MISSION with their RADAR LOCKED on the goal. As your President in 2011-2012 I will dedicate myself to the Norwich Rotary team. Have you ever played on a winning athletic team? Or been a part of a group that established a record of results in business, sports, or anything else? If you have, as I have, then you know the special "THRILL" to it. A feeling that you have from working together to accomplish something, none of you could do alone. As your President I will work hard to help you all expierence that thrill. The key for our Rotary Club is ATTITUDE. We need to continue to build and nuture a winning attitude in our members. We need to continue to create the feeling Bonnie started last year, that WE ARE A VITAL PART of a WINNING TEAM. That what an effective leader does, and that is what I'll work to continue as your President. Peace & Understanding, Disease Prevention, Clean Water, Maternal & Child Health. iteracy & Education, and Economic & Community Development- OUR 6 AREAS of FOCUS in ROTARY. Club Service, Vocational Service, Community Service, International Service, and New Generations. Our 5 Avenues of Service in Rotary. We have at Norwich Rotary a solid foundation to build on. Schwartz Manor, the mahan Coat Fund, the Golf Tourney, "A NIGHT OF GIVING", the Carnival, the Dictionary project, The SPOOKY WALK, the BBQ, our future Freshman Projects, Amber Alert and EVERY ROTARIAN EVERY YEAR(our FOUNDATION). Our team, District 7980, and our Strategic Planning Committee has given us the roadmap, to successfully transform ourselves into a 21st Century CLUB, that provides unique benefits to our members. You heard me mention the 4c's, as your President, I'd like to be the 5th C---- THE CATAYLST" to keep our eyes on the goal and our "radar locked" on our mission of SERVICE ABOVE SELF. I look forward to the challenges of the coming year, and I need each and every member's contribution and support. Thank you. Larry Fowler

On Sunday 7/10/2011, from 1:00PM to 4pm, our Club will be hosting our first AMBER ALERT Program for the Norwich Education Foundation, at Dodd Stadium. Our Amber Alert Committee will be getting training on the Amber Alert Systems with the Danbury Rotary Club, any members interested in joining us should contact Larry Fowler at 860-889-7740 or by email:fowlerl@nationwide,com, come learn be a part of our 2011-2012 PROJECT.

Juilene Rodriguez a 5th grade student at Veterans Memorial School, took 1st place in her division at the State Invention Convention Competition. Her invention was the "NO SWEAT WATER BOTTLE". It keeps you cool while exercising, and it helps maintain your fluids. The Rotary Club of Norwich CONGRATULATES all the students who participated in the competition this year. We also want to recognize the teachers who worked with these students to help prepare them for the competition.

Not only did we have FUN, but we came away with lots of ideas Bonnie, Larry, Keri, Wendy and Ed all felt inspired by Speakers at the District Assembly, and came away with lots of ideas from the workshops. We even had a small display in the House of Friendship. .... Wendy looks over the information.

This week the fifth local bank to support the Rotary Trolley Project and invest in the Economic Development our Community was PUTNAM BANK. Financial support from our local Financial Institutions is now $5,500.00. THANK YOU PUTNAM BANK !

Everyone had a good time but they were really exhausted...including the escorts.Phil from the Bridgeport club helped us by bringing the team on the train from Bridgeport to NYC. We rented a 15 passenger van to get around town and then meet them at the Dey & Church Restaurant where they had a great view of Ground Zero and the new construction. From there we went to Battery Park, and they REALLY wanted to go on the Ferry to see the Statue of Liberty (inspite of the 2 1/2 hour wait).So all but Peter went on the Ferry and Bonnie took him to Bloomingdales to shop for his wife, as that was more important to him. We got back to pick them up at Battery Park, and drove past South St Seaport, Chinatown and Little Italy and went to the Boat House Restaurant in Central Park to rest and have a bit to eat. We then walked through Central Park and the lake and ended over on the West Side at Strawberry Fields. We than took them to Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral, and Time's Square. We than went to Bonnie's apartment for a short break with Wine and Cheese and got them to the Train just in time. I hope they enjoyed the trip as much as we enjoyed being their hosts. Thank you for the opportunity

This week we learned that Dime Bank and CorePlus Federal Credit Union have also Partnered with the Norwich Rotary to support the Trolley Project. Both Dime Bank and CorePlus Federal Credit Union are donating $1000. each. We Thank them for their support of this project and recognize Dime Bank as a valued member of Rotary through Jim Cronin's membership in our club. CorePlus is also recognized as a valued Rotary partner through the membership of Warren Scholl's membership in the Norwich Rotary Sunrise Club. THANK YOU.

ChelseaGroton Bank and The Savings Institute are partnering with the Norwich Rotary Club to build the Trolley/Shuttle for downtown Norwich. ChelseaGroton Bank has committed $1000 to the project and the Savings Institute has just announced that it is contributing $1500 to the project. We want to thank our local Community banks for their support, not just for this project, but for their commitment to the Economic Growth of our community. Both banks are well represented in our club by the membership of Keith Caplet from ChelseaGroton, and Barry Shead from the Savings Institute.

You can now search for a Rotary club with RI's free iPhone app.
In the Apple app store it's called the Rotary Club Locator from Rotary
International. The app also will soon be offered for Android phones. This is a "must have" if you are traveling.

April is Rotary Magazine month, an RI has just announced that it
will soon have a digital edition.The Rotarian digital
magazine debuts in July.The
Rotarian will bring you the same print content you've enjoyed for years --
in paperless form. If you switch to digital, a link to the new issue will be
delivered to your e-mail inbox each month.To sign up use this linkhttp://www.rotary.org/en/MediaAndNews/TheRotarian/Pages/digital.aspx?houseadShare The Rotarian with the community during Magazine Month, and help promote Rotary's work
around the world.

Rotarians have been finding a number of ways to help victims of
the devastating earthquake and tsunami in Japan that killed thousands and left
hundreds of thousands more homeless. To read about what Rotary Clubs are doing go to

Congratulations Bob and
Tom. !! You have again organized and pulled off our most successful
event. Every committee should be congratulated from the Team Captains,
the PR committee, Catalog , Printing, Set-up, Clean-up, Food, Registration...
and our Sponsors and Donors.

THANK YOU. You have
all insured that next year this Rotary club will be able to carry out work that
touches so many people.

Click Here for an Update on one of our kids. RonnieRead about Ronnie, than continue reading the update we have just received, on the status of the Pediatric Cardiac
Care Institute in Santiago, for which our club donated $2500.00 towards
the building of this new facility:

The Board of Directors meeting for March continues to work on the business of the club and our Norwich Rotary Foundation. You can keep up with your BOD by reading the minutes of the meeting on our website, under Club Documents. You are always welcome to join us at a meeting, the second Wednesday of the month at 11 am.

Last week the Chairs and Co-Chairs of the committees met with Kathy Chartier to go over all the applications that our club should be submitting to RI and the District. It is wonderful to be recognized for the work we do, but the real benefit of these awards is the pooling of ideas and the inspiration we get from learning from each other. Come to the District Conference in Sturbridge, Massachusetts May 12-15 th. and find out where we shine, and learn what other clubs are doing.

Our club is sponsoring six students from NFA to attend the New Generations Conference on March 1st. This one day conference brings together students (over 100 last year) from all over the district with the opportunity to articulate their vision of the future. The conference break-out sessions are lead by student facilitators on selected topics that address concerns that face high school students today.Rebecca Smolenski, Michaela Murray, Samantha Trombley, Na Li, Khadejeh Al-Rijleh, Catalina Calachan will be attending.

Mike Gordon mentors our newest members as they plan and organize for one of the most ambitious Freshman Rotary projects yet.They have been meeting almost weekly planning the 1st Annual Rotary BBQ Cook-Off.

Our club will again sponsor a student for RYLA. The Rotary Youth Leadership Award is our Rotary District 7980's leadership training program for young men and women ages 16 & 17 in grades 10 and 11. Scott Goyette was chosen because of his leadership and volunteer activities. He is in the 10th grade at Griswold High School. He will attend the all expense paid weekend Conference with other High School students from throughout the district. RYLA emphasizes the development of leadership skills, citizenship and service to one's community and continued personal growth of the individual. The Conference runs from Feb. 25th to the 27th at Homewood Suites in Stratford. CONGRATULATIONS SCOTT.

Our District Governor Julie Reppenhagen, and ADG Kathy Chartier will visit our club THIS WEDNESDAY ,Feb 23rd. It will be a special honor to have them join us and pay special tribute to several of our outstanding members. Be sure to join us Feb.23rd. and help us give them a great Norwich Rotary Club Welcome.

The Ambulance, donated by Mike Aliano and American Ambulance, has been disassembled, the frame has been sand blasted and primed, and the enginerring team is setting up their equipment in the new facility donated by one of the Adams brothers. Mike Goldblatt has transported the Frame and has been working closely with the team. Ed Krodel is arranging for a lic. electrician to installed a needed 220V outlet, and is building the tables needed by Harry O'Keefe to construct the fiberglass Trolley body. Dan Gross and his team have been meeting regularly working on the design and operating system. The prep work is finally done, thanks to the 25 members of the committee, and the assemble will now be started.Barry Shead, Nancy Gentes and Bonnie are working on fund raising after the disappointing cancellation by Dreamland Carnivals. Rich Pascal has done the legal work, to create an Employee Owner company that will continue to do EV Conversions. Marge Blizard is working on their business plan. A company name has been choosen, "Green Technologies", and their Board of Directors and officers are in place.Arturo DePablo of Izaro Motors from Madrid Spain, is planning a visit here in February to explore setting up his facility to work in conjunction/cooperation with "Green Technologies". We are preparing for his visit.

All the volunteers who have been working on this project are exceptional people with impressive talents. We will be adding life to our downtown, and contributing to the economic growth of our community. I am so proud to be apart of this adventure.

Ed Krodel has been approved for membership by the BOD at their 1/19/11 Board meeting. Without objection, he will officially be a member of our Rotary Club on Feb. 5, 2011.Ed has been working with Mike Goldblatt and members of the Trolley project. Get to know Ed at our next meeting.

Your Club Leadership invites you to participate in planning for the goals the club will work toward in the next five years. The next session lead by Jim O'Shea, will take place on Jan. 13th at Bonnie's home ... 167 Washington St, Norwich, at 5pm. We will have a little pot-luck for dinner, and talk about what actions we should take to strengthen our club.You are welcome to join the Board of Directors and the Chairs-Co-Chairs of your committees to build a "Bigger, Better, Bolder" Rotary Club of Norwich. This is the Motto for RI President Ray Klinginsmith's Rotary year.

The
Rotary Club of Norwich is pleased again to announce that we are accepting
applications for participation by sophomore and junior high school students in
the Rotary Youth Leadership Award program on February
25, 26, 27, 2011 at the Homewood Suites in Stratford, CT.

We will be selecting two students from the Norwich –
Griswold area to participate in the program. Application are due no later than January 15, 2011. Applications should be
mailed to:Mr. John Bolduc, Eastern Connecticut Association of REALTORS®, 238 West Town St. Norwich, Ct., 06360

Thought you might like to know that while wrapping gifts
Kathy Chartier, our ADG, tripped over her cat yesterday, fell and nearly
severed the tip of her index finger (right hand). To compound the mess, she also
fractured her humerus bone (between elbow and shoulder) on her left arm. So,
she's incapacitated a bit - no driving, etc. Went to the ER for four hours and
will try to get an appointment today at an ortho surgeon for her problems.
Blood everywhere.... Not quite a murder scene however!

When you see her, please tell her that you saw about her
accident on the TV news - WOMAN FALLS FROM BULL AT LOCAL BAR. She's maintaining
that she fell off the bull and did all this damage to herself while setting the
record on the mechanical bull. Astonished that her name was going to the top of
the list of people who rode the fastest, with the best style, stayed on the
longest, etc, she collapsed! Sounds so much better than WOMAN TRIPPED OVER
CAT.

If you have every want to personally help eradicate Polio, here is your opportunity. The Government of India has announced their February 2011 Polio Immunization dates, and you can travel with other Rotarians to Delhi and Ghaziabad to participate in these exercises.

Our regular weekly meeting will be held at NFA this week, December 15th., as we enjoy lunch and holiday music. We will meet in the Ensemble Room, in the Sidney Frank Center (old MT building for older NFA Alums). A separate email is being sent as a reminder and to encourage those that will be bringing a guest to respond so the catering company can have a fair count.

The District Nominating Committee is accepting nominations for the office of District Governor 2013-2014. A nomination for District Governor is made by the applicant's club with the approval of the applicant. The candidate must be a member, in good standing, of the nominating club and meet the minimum qualifications as specified in the RI Bylaws section 15.070. These include, being a Rotarian for at least seven years, and having served as President of the Club. The Duties of a Governor are listed in the RI bylaws section 15.090.

You may have noticed that our club was mentioned several times in the last issue of the BEACON. To let other clubs in our district know what Norwich is doing, consider submitting an article. The deadline for the February issue is January 1st.

Join Rotary Clubs in District 7980 for a fun Fellowship fundraising event. A Special End Polio Night at Harbor Yard in partnership with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on January 8, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. Bridgeport Sound Tigers vs. Worcester Sharks At the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport. EACH CLUB GETS CREDIT FOR TICKETS THEY SELL. For each $20 ticket sold, Club retains $7 for End Polio Now Campaign.For more information, call: Rotary – Dennis Wong, Westport Sunrise Rotary,doxsoup@aol.com, 203-858-5828 or Sound Tigers – Andrew Cabral,andrew.cabralW@soundtigers.com, 203-334-4626

The Connecticut Association of Public School Superintendents Awards will be hosted by our Rotary Club on December 1st. Our own Abby Dolliver, Superintendent of the Norwich Public Schools, will present students from the 12 schools with the awards, during our regular club meeting at Bella Fiore's.

This coming weekend, Hallie Maloney-Caisse, a 10th grade student at Griswold High School, and Hayley Durand,an 11th grade student at NFA, will be attending The Rotary Youth Leadership training program. This year the conference takes place at the Homewood Suites, 6905 Main Street, Stratford, CT. from Friday 11/13 to 1 PM Sunday 11/15. Conference honorees from throughout Connecticut will be attending. The program will include workshops on Leadership, Time Management, Listening
and Communication, Relationships, Goal Setting, Team Building and
Personal Development.

Sheila, Barry and Bonnie set up our Display at the Three Rivers Community College Energy Fair. Several visitors to our table signed up to work on the Trolley. We owe this beautiful banner to the Maria Miranda and Miranda Creative INC. Thank you Maria. And Thank you to all the volunteers that worked on Friday to spread the word about what our Rotary club is doing.

The Day started at 8AM with going through the UN security checks, getting our credentials, and finding our way to the Conference rooms, in the temporary buildings.We arrive at our Conference areas, and Allison and Raleigh join the Rotary Youth group as they meet for the morning session.Ben and Bonnie meet up with ADG Rupi Rupwani with his wife Pat and Lynda Hammond. Lynda had some great news for our club.... Our $2500. donation to the Gift of Life has been matched, making a total of $5000. !!!!The speakers at all the sessions were inspiring. The United Nations and the Rotary have a long history. Allison and Raleigh look forward to speaking at a club meeting, and sharing their experience with us.

LAST WEEK TO SIGN UP.I Hope you are planning to go to the Holiday Party...DECEMBER 10th. at the Tamarack Lodge in Voluntown. Both Norwich Clubs will be there. Start the Holiday Season with Fellowship, good Food and Dancing. SIGN UP ON THE WEBSITE BY CLICKING ON HOLIDAY PARTY under UPCOMING EVENTS.

The Norwich Rotary Club has sponsored Allison Sullivan and Raleigh Weese, both 11th grade students at NFA, to attend the UN-Rotary Day on Nov.6th.Thy are excited about attending and look forward to telling the club about their experience.

We want to thank the special people that Sponsored THE SHADOWS OF NORWICH GRAVEYARD TOUR. All proceeds went to PolioPlus. Thank You.....
Marty & Millie Shapiro, Dr. Micky Walia,Holmberg's Orchard, Norwich Historical Society

Hayley Durand, a student from NFA, will represent our Norwich Rotary in District's Four-Way test speech contest. She will now be attending the District Speak Off Jan. 16th , and if chosen as a finalist, will be at Pre-Pets on Jan. 29th where Larry will have a chance to vote for the winner. GOOD LUCK Hayley.

The Norwich Rotary Club is looking to sponsor a High School student to compete. The winner from our club will attend a preliminary "Speak-Off" on Sunday, January 16, 2011 at the campus of Fairfield University and the final presentations (the top three winners from the "Speak-Off") being made at the Rotary District Mid-Year PRE-PETS Meeting on Saturday, January 29, 2011. Applications must be submitted to the Norwich Rotary Club by Dec.1 st., and be prepared to present your speech on December 8th. Look under "SITE PAGES" on the left for the application

Bob Reed presented our club's Sevice Above Self Awards Friday Evening at the Joint Holiday Party at Tamarack Lodge. The Service Above Self Award is Rotary's highest honor to an individual who has displayed exemplary service with a focus on active involvement helping other through Rotary. Bob Adams and Tom Adams are both deserving of this award. We extend our congratulations and want them to know how fortunate we are that they are members of our Rotary Club.

Stephen Witkowski, David Special and Jon Messore from the Department of Public Works installed the historic plaque donated by the Norwich Rotary Club which describes the Thames harbor scene during the War of 1812

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is District 7980's leadership
training program for young men and women ages 16 & 17 in grades 10
and 11. Our Club can sponsor 2 students.This year we had eight applicants. After making the tough decision, the two students choosen this year are Hallie Maloney-Caisse, a 10th grade student from Griswold High School, and Hayley Durand an 11th grade student from NFA.The RYLA Conference is scheduled for November 12th to the 14th. CONGRATULATIONS.

LESS THAN 1 WEEK LEFT TO GET YOUR TICKETS. On October 30, at 5:30, celebrate the season at the Norwichtown Green and learn about the darker side of Norwich's more than 350-year history. This popular event is a fundraiser for the Rotary Foundation. The Foundation will be dedicating these funds towards support of Polio Plus, a project of Rotary International that is eradicating polio worldwide. So SPREAD THE WORD.After the tour, enjoy Bloody Apple Cider and cookies, as Faye Ringel, author, tells spine-chilling tales. Reservations are required, as there is a limit of 100 people for this tour. A donation of $15 is requested. To purchase tickets, contact L. Fowler Insurance Agency, 230 Salem Tpke., Norwich CT 06360 or call 860-889-7740.

Members of our club worked the AMBER ALERT booth on Connecticut Day at the BIG E. Since 2003 Rotary Clubs in District 7980 have been sponsoring AMBER Alert Child ID events to get children registered. On September 22nd, we registered 282 children.

Rotary Youth Leadership Awards (RYLA) is District 7980's leadership training program for young men and women ages 16 & 17 in grades 10 and 11. These talented young people are selected by their local Rotary clubs, from area high schools, to attend an all expenses paid weekend conference designed to increase their leadership skills and commitment to community service. RYLA emphasizes the development of leadership skills, citizenship and service to one's community and continued personal growth of the individual. The cost of the program this year is $235.00 per student, which includes all hotel accommodations, meals and conference materials. The Norwich Rotary Club will pay the cost of the program and may sponsor two students to attend the conference. Conference honorees from throughout Connecticut will be attending and each participant will be assigned a roommate(s). The program will include workshops on Leadership, Time Management, Listening and Communication, Relationships, Goal Setting, Team Building and Personal Development. Rotarians will discuss Rotary's purpose, service to the community and Rotary's role in helping mankind around the globe. The dress is casual, but neat and ample free time will be provided for socializing, networking and lots of FUN. GET A COPY OF THE APPLICATION IN THE DOWNLOAD SECTION ON THE LOWER RIGHT COLUMN ON THIS PAGE.RYLA Conference Schedule: November 12, 13, 14, 2010: applications are due by Oct 6, 2010 and can be sent to The Norwich Rotary Club, 1 Sylvandale Rd., Jewett City, CT. 06351 or call 860-885-8532

The Rotary Career Directory has been delivered to all the area high schools. This directory allows students to contact Rotarians who have volunteered to share their experience in varied professions with students who are looking to study for a career in their field of work. It is never to late to add your name and vocation to this list. The Career Counseling Sign up form can be found on the web site in both the "Downloads" section on the home page or after you sign in, under "my ClubRunner", in Club Documents. The Club Thanks John Bolduc and Andy Nollman for all their work.

The minutes of our Board meetings are on line for you to read. You can find them in the "My ClubRunner" section after you login, or on the Home Page under Downloads, at the bottom of the Right Hand Column.

Two NFA students, Raleigh Weese and Allie Sullivan, were chosen to attend Rotary UN Day on November 6th in NYC. The program,held at the United Nations Building from 9:30 am to 4 pm on Saturday, is designed to inspire and educate participants and provide insight into
the close relationship between Rotary and the United Nations. If you are also interested in attending, please sign up online as soon as possible at www.riunday.org. or Go to this link: RIUNDAYThe cost is $37.50 per person. The club will pay the fee. Let us know if you are going.

We joined with Sunrise on Thursday evening Sept 16th at the Maugle Sierra Vineyards, and had a wonderful time tasting some very good wines and enjoying fellowship. We even got to try "adult animal crackers" . The Vineyard is beautiful, and the wine tasting room was cozy and romantic. Thanks Chris for bring the fruit.

Wequonnoc School third-grader Annastasia Cintron helps hands out
dictionaries to classmates as Norwich Rotary President Bonnie Hong and
Rotary District 7980 Governor Julie Reppenhagen, distribute dictionaries
to third-grade students Wednesday at the school in Norwich.

Bill Gates, co-chair
of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, will be a keynote speaker at the
2011 RI Convention in New Orleans. He will discuss the progress of the polio eradication effort
and the need to finish the job. Bill has made several trips to India
and Nigeria, two of the four remaining polio-endemic countries,